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Windows 7: How does MS know I deactivated my window 7 key?

First let me thank the forum for showing me how to deactivate my windows 7 key.

a quick back ground then my question.

A few years back my wife ordered through her school a 3 pack of window 7 License.

We installed 1 on her computer a friends and had one left.

So when I got my windows 8 laptop, after trying for a month or two with Start8 to cover as much as of windows 8 as I could I downloaded Win7 to my new computer taking the 3rd License.

After telling my daughter what I did she said I HATE windows 8 can you do that to mine I said sure, well I did it and forget about my friends computer having the 3rd license, so now she has a not genuine windows 7.

So what I did was... according to the forums directions removed one license from the oldest computer, my wifes , she got a new one with win7.

So the question is how does MS know that I deactivated that license so I can use it on my daughters computer?

When my daughter trys again how will they know that the third licences isn't being used?

The best way to uninstall any OS is to delete it's partition. During any Clean Install Windows 7 one should always delete all partitions and create new using the installer Drive Options shown in Steps 7 and 8, which effectively does the same.

The hardware signature(s) connected to that Product Key remains in MS Activation servers until it is overwritten with a new hardware signature for that particular key. When a signature is already present for that key, the activation assistant will normally ask "Is this the only PC this copy of Win7 is installed upon" to which you must answer only "Yes" and then it will overwrite the old hardware signature with the new one, effectively deactivating the old install the next time it connects to the internet.

There may be variations in the way Activation is handled for the Upgrade 3-Pack. But the same principle should apply that you may reinstall or move retail Win7 as often as you please as long as you only have it activated on the allowed number of PC"s.

So are you saying because I did it a 4th time, that being my daughters computer, that I have to now delete the partition in the one that I just activated which was on my old computer, (long story) but, lets just say I redid it to activate it so I could deactivate it then redo my daughters computer all over again?

So are you saying because I did it a 4th time, that being my daughters computer, that I have to now delete the partition in the one that I just activated which was on my old computer, (long story) but, lets just say I redid it to activate it so I could deactivate it then redo my daughters computer all over again?

I was only explaining the best way to delete an installation. Whether you delete it or not has no bearing on the Product Key remaining activated for that hardware until it's activation is overwritten with a new hardware signature due to reinstall to new hardware, or changing the key in Computer>Properties.

Since the install is deleted (or overwritten, recycled, never started again, etc) the activation servers have no way to connect to know if it is or isn't being used. So the same hardware signature remains tied to that key until it is overwritten with a new hardware signature during activation. The fact that a key already is tied to that hardware means MS needs to ask if you are only running it on allowed number of machines, so it can be legally overwritten.

Win7 deactivated after installing Win 8.1 as 3rd OSHi!
Today I've installed and activated (legally) Windows 8.1 as third OS (XP, 7).
Then I booted to Win7 and boom, my 7 is deactivated and it doesn't accept the key!(OEM)
What can I do?
I tried to activate by phone, but without success.
Regards.

My PC deactivated itselfMy HP came with W7 Home Premium. I cleaned my HD and downloaded W7 Home Premium with SP1 and activated it with the key on the side of my PC. It activates itself for a few days and then deactivates itself.
Is this normal?
Before when I did the "diskpart" thing I had a copy of W7 and SP1 on a...

Windows Updates & Activation

Intel X25-M 120GB SSD - Deactivated on NeweggA sign of things to come go?
Just saw this on Newegg.
The new Intel G3 SSDs are rumored to be released today.
With the same Intel controller, with only slightly better speed than the G2's.